Ruben Amorim has been the subject of a lot of interest since being linked with the Manchester United job. So much so, that it is widely known that the manager has predominantly used a 3-4-2-1 formation throughout his career.
With the Red Devils said to have studied Amorim closely, it raises the question of how United's current squad would fit into the system, a formation United rarely use except in the most ad hoc situations.
Of course, clubs can turn to the transfer market and buy players who fit the 3-4-2-1 formation. Or simply those who they think will be better than the players they already have.
However, after suffering losses of more than £255m over the past three seasons, United are walking a fine line in terms of both the Premier League's Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR), and UEFA's equivalent guidelines on financial sustainability.
They will save some money by not renewing contracts with Christian Eriksen, Victor Lindelof and Harry Maguire, all of whom are out of contract. However, there is little expectation of United spending big in the next 12 months.
What does this mean? First of all, United will need to be particularly clever with their spending. Unlike previous managers, Amorim will not be the driving force. Instead, he will need to work with sporting director Dan Ashworth, technical director Jason Wilcox and chief executive Omar Berrada to find the right players.
The remainder of the 2024-2025 campaign will surely be devoted to this task: determining who fits in which positions, where they need to be supplemented, and who to sell to reduce the wage bill.
But this cannot be solely about building for the future. Amorim must also deliver results now, partly to build trust with players and fans, but also to ensure United do not suffer further reputational and revenue losses from missing out on the Champions League.
In other words, the Portuguese tactician will have to execute his ideas quickly. And this is a difficult task.
For all the negativity surrounding Old Trafford under Erik ten Hag, they don’t look too bad in the table. Yes, 13th is a shame, but they’re only four points off third place, with 27 games to play. It’s not an insurmountable obstacle.
The road back to the Champions League – especially if the Premier League wins five places – is not a long one. However, the road to the team Amorim really wants could take longer.
